“ICE potentially bidding doesn’t solve the core problem of an LSE acquisition. Either winning bidder will be subject to at least 50 shades of anti trust bondage & prolonged corporate masochism. However it deeply complicates DB1’s tactical ineptitude with this ill-considered deal. Albeit, the dowry is rising its dowry at the risk of LSE being left at the altar when the high priests of EU merger wisdom disallow the truly valuable components. Camels will now be lining up for their shot at squeezing through the eye of the needle, particularly as DB1 has a double dose of difficulty – no deal works without Frankfurt losing (at least!) some prestige, rendering local regulators profoundly intractable. ICE probably cannot own all of LSE (maybe they don’t want to either…) but they have a great chance to tie two smaller (but dangerous) competitors in knots for the foreseeable future.”